A Good Man Goes to War Again
by obsessedsoul
Summary: A pregnant River Song has just had her revenge on several members of the Silence...little does she know that a trap has been laid for her...tick tock goes the clock.
1. History Repeats Itself

A slew of the Silent lay dead on the floor. River Song was the only one who still stood. Her chest heaved from her rapid breathing. Her left hand clutched her six-months-pregnant-swollen abdomen protectively; her right grasped her gun, which she shakily placed back in its holster.

"Doctor?!" she called to her husband. _Hopefully he didn't see that. _She had opened the TARDIS doors, expecting to find Ancient Rome, only to be greeted by a host of the Silent in an abandoned building. What else was she supposed to do?

As she turned back towards the TARDIS, a sharp pain emanated at her neck. She lifted her slim fingers to find the source of it: there was an arrow-tipped needle embedded in her skin. Confused, she drew her gun of from its holster once more and searched for any signs of the intruder. But suddenly, fatigue overcame her and her eyes began to droop. She stumbled, attempting to stay erect, but she collapsed on the floor and her pistol fell from her hand.

Her head spinning, she attempted to lift herself back up, but found that she couldn't. Then, she heard a laugh that sent shivers down her spine. Heels clicked against the cement and figures appeared from the shadows.

Through blurred vision, she saw a woman with curly black hair, dressed in a similarly colored suit and high heeled combat boots approach her. An eye patch covered her right eye.

"Well, well, well, Melody Pond." Her voiced hissed through putridly colored purple lips. Each word was a stab of poison to River's ears. "We have been naughty, haven't we?"

"Kovarian," River was able to utter faintly, her head throbbing now more than ever. "No."

"Oh yes my dear…" Kovarian purred maliciously, baring her hideously white teeth. "Did you think we wouldn't find out your little secret?"

Just then, the TARDIS doors swung open, and the Doctor emerged with a perplexed look on his face. "River where did you…"

He stopped in mid-sentence when he saw his pregnant wife on the floor surrounded by the Silence. And Kovarian.

Reflexively, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "Get away from my wife."

Kovarian stood up and laughed.

The Doctor charged, but there was a flash of blue light and he was thrown back. Electricity coursed through his body: a force field surrounded the TARDIS. _No, not again. _

"I'm sorry my love…" River whispered weakly, her eyes closing.

"River, NO!" He screamed, banging his fists on the force field, electrocuting himself each time. There was no hope; he couldn't get to her. All he could do was watch his wife be taken.

"It's been a pleasure, Doctor." Kovairan sneered.

River fought to keep herself awake, but slowly the image and sound of her husband screaming faded into blackness.


	2. Tick Tock Goes the Clock

River woke to the sound of machinery whirring. All she could see what a bright white light, and she squinted in an attempt to adjust her vision. She tried to put her hands over her face to shield her eyes, but she found that her hands were bound. In fact, her feet were too. She was trapped on something cold and hard.

"Look who's up." She heard Kovarian coo.

River's eyesight finally adjusted to the brightness, and her worst fears were realized: she was strapped to an examination table in the middle of a cold, white, sterile hospital room. Her stomach was exposed, and dozens of fetal monitors were attached to it; the screens they were attached to whirring and beeping, displaying data, vital signs, and images of her unborn child.

River thrashed upon the table in an attempt to free herself from her bonds.

Kovarian chuckled. "Now, now Melody, there's no point in struggling. We wouldn't want to hurt the baby, now would we?"

"Get away from me! Get away from her!" she screamed.

Kovarian bent down above her. "And why would we do that, my dear? We've still got a task at hand: one that you failed to complete."

"And I never will." River said.

Kovarian's lip curled in disgust. "Yes, I know…that is evident from that…_spawn _of his you're carrying."

"He's coming for me, you know. You can't stop him…" River threatened.

Kovarian smiled. "Well, he wasn't all that successful last time, now was he? Even so, if he _does _try to rescue you; I'll kill him. I've found that sometimes you've got to do some things yourself…and if not," Kovarian said, placing her hand on River's stomach, "this little one will do what her _mummy _couldn't."

River cringed at her touch.

"You will _never_ have her." She said through gritted teeth.

"Don't be so sure dearie," Kovarian said with a vicious smile. She turned to leave, but stopped at the door. "She's a full time lord, after all. How could I ever pass up an opportunity like that? Ha! Just think of it: she'll kill her own father! It's almost poetic."

Before River could say anything, the doors swooshed, and Kovarian was gone.

River laid her head against the table and sobbed quietly. "I'm so sorry." She whispered to her stomach. "So sorry…"


	3. A Good Man Goes to War Again

They must have knocked her out again, because when she woke, her stomach was considerably larger. She peered at the numerous fetal monitors, until she saw that one read _30 weeks_. Thirty weeks, had she really been asleep for over a month? It couldn't be. And yet, the monitor and the size of her midsection showed that it was true.

"Oh Doctor…" she whispered, sighing to herself.

"Yes, dear?" She heard from behind her.

Her pulse quicked at the sound of his voice. She strained her head, and to her relief, she saw the one person she needed most then: her husband.

"Hello, sweetie." She said faintly.

"Professor Song, what sort of trouble have you gotten yourself into now?" He teased.

"It's not my fault!" she said with a renewed vigor as he began to unstrap the monitors from her abdomen. "You caused _this,_" gesturing to her midsection,"as much as I did, you know."

The Doctor paused for a minute, and placed a hand on his wife's abdomen. "Yes, I suppose so." He smiled and kissed her stomach.

"Sweetie?" River said.

"Mmm?" He replied, distracted momentarily.

"I'd hate to put a damper on your and our daughter's reunion, but could you please get me out of these bonds?"

The Doctor smirked and twirled his sonic screwdriver in his hand with a flourish. With four quick flashes of green, River had motion of her limbs again. She attempted to stand, but she nearly fell when she did. The Doctor caught her before she collapsed on the floor.

"Are you alright?" he asked, wrapping his arms securly around her so she wouldn't fall.

"Oh, yes." River said, flustered. "Apparently being strapped down to a table for over a month without being able to move makes you a bit wobbly."

"We need to get you out of here, dear." The Doctor said, not entirely sure on how he was actually going to manage that.

River seemed to read his mind. "Just exactly how did you get in here?" She asked, slowly testing her legs while she leaned against the table.

Right on cue, the doors whooshed open and a tall, tragically handsome man bounded in.

"Doc, we've got Kovarian...Come on, we gotta go!" He yelled in a Midwestern American Accent.

His eyes were drawn to River and he smiled devilishly. "Well, hello there," he said while removing his hat. "You must be Mrs. Doctor."

River looked at Jack with confused amusement as he strutted towards her.

"Jack, no." The Doctor practically growled at him. "Don't even think about it. _She's my wife. _My _pregnant _wife."

"Woah," Jack said, putting his hands up in his own defense, "Can't a guy just say 'Hello'?"

"Jack,_ stop it_."

River raised an eyebrow.

"Captain Jack Harkness by the way." Extending out a hand for her to shake.

"Yes, I surmised that." River said coolly, studying him out of the corner of her eye.

"Anyways, Doc. We really gotta go."

The Doctor looked a River with concern. She shook her head slightly. She still couldn't walk, much less run.

Her husband breathed deeply, obviously pained by what he was about to ask. "Jack, would you mind helping River back to the TARDIS?"

"And just where do you think you're going?" River quipped in a wifely manner.

"To deal with Kovarian once and for all." He said. "And you," he booped River on the nose, "have to get as far away from her as possible."

"But I..."

"River, do you honestly think that I would let you anywhere near that woman?" River was speechless. "Now don't worry," he said, with a quick peck on the lips, "I'll be careful." He dashed out the door, "I always am!"

River sighed heavily and rolled her eyes.

"Okay, Jack, let's go." She said, groaning slightly as she attempted to right herself. Jack placed an arm around her back and allowed her to lean on him in order to unload some of her weight.

"You know, I'm glad I finally got to meet you; missed out on the action last time…I'm kinda the Doc's secret weapon. You see, I can't die." He beamed as they walked along. "Which makes me the perfect shield for you and the little tot."

"Thank you, Jack." River said kindly.

"Anytime, Doctor Song."

As they made their way slowly down the hallway, River felt a sharp kick in her abodmen. She winced and bit her lip in an attempt to verbalize her discomfort.

_That's odd_, she thought. Her lips tasted strange...almost as if...but no, it couldn't be. The last time her lips had that taste to them they were in...Berlin...and she had...kissed...No.

Her eyes widened in horror and she stopped dead in her tracks. "Jack, we have to go back." she whispered.

"Why?" He said.

"The Doctor's been poisioned."

"What? By who?"

"By me." She said, her voice nearly breaking.


	4. Poison From The Judas Tree

The Doctor sprinted down the ship's hallways, his sonic screwdriver clutched in his hand. The sooner he delt with Kovarian, the sooner he could get River to safety...

Mid-stride, the wind was knocked out of him as he felt his hearts palpitate furiously. He stumbled and fell to the floor, so taken aback from the suddenness of it all that he was unable to break his fall. He lay on the floor for a moment, his limbs at odd angles, taking in the physical torture. The sensation seemed to dissapate for an instant, and his shoes sqeaked against the floor as he groped his way up the wall into a standing position. But, just as he had gained his bearing, the sharp pains coursed again throughout his body, causing violent uncontrollable tremors. The Doctor's knees buckled under his weight, and he slid down the face of the wall back onto the floor. He felt numb and if he were being stabbed all over at the same time. His hearts were beating as though they would explode. He clutched one in discomfort and could actually feel it pounding within his chest. The anguish was unbearable. The last time he had felt like this was in...Berlin, only this was worse. Much worse. Kovarian must have anticipated that he would have kissed River upon rescuing her...it had been too easy.

A fresh wave of pain swept over him in accordance with his realization. Every cell in his body was screaming. Dying. Beads of sweat mixed with the tears that squeezed their way from his tightly shut eyes. This time, he knew no one would be able to save him, not even River.

After moments of stoicism, he finally broke and uttered a guttural groan of agony from between his clenched teeth. His entire body shook, his muscles tense; every inch was on fire. The Doctor's senses were overwhelmed. Had he passed out from it, he would have been spared further anguish, but fate was not that kind.

A pair of doors down the hallway swooshed open, and a Torchwood soldier peered around the corner, curious as to what the source of the ear-splitting cry was. When he saw the Doctor collapsed on the floor, he immediately called for backup.

In the midst of the pain, the Doctor was glad to have some sort of reprieve from the Torchwood soldiers as they carried him into the room from whence they had appeared. He knew there was no hope for him, but at least he would die among friends and be put out of this misery...

* * *

**Please write a review! I will update based on the response and want for more...so if you want to read the rest of the story, then say so! **

**Suggestions and requests are always welcome! Thanks for reading!**


	5. You Are Loved By No One More Than Me

River ran.

A rush of adrenaline and urgency had swept over her body. She had stretched her limbs out for long enough, now the Doctor was counting on her to use them. To save him.

She strained to fight back the tears of dread as her feet pounded against the hard floor, moving her with each step closer to her husband. Her love. Who was dying. Because of her. Again. She paid no attention to the soreness in which her body responded to her movements, nor how awkwardly her protruding stomach felt whist running. Nothing mattered now but him.

Jack strode ahead of her, leading the way. He knew that the Doctor was headed towards the room where Torchwood associates held Kovarian, and he prayed that they weren't too late.

They turned the corner and dashed down the corridor.

"In here!" Jack yelled behind him, gesturing to the door on the left that they were approaching.

The doors swooshed open, and River barged past Jack through them.

She stopped suddenly. Her worst fears were realized. Kovarian sat in the middle of the room, bound to a chair, but smiling wickedly. Several feet in front of her, Torchwood members huddled around a figure on the floor. The Doctor.

"No!" she screamed, and pushed her way past the soldiers, her heart bursting from sorrow. She fell to her knees beside him, not minding to register the pain of impact. His eyes were closed; hot tears of anguish had stained his face. His body was limp.

"Sweetie!" She called to him, slapping his face with her hands in an attempt to revive him.

"No, no! You can't leave me, my love. You can't..." She held his hand in hers and kissed his lips, but she received nothing in return.

"Please." she cried, holding his hand up to her cheek. She kissed his palm and cradled her face with it.

Kovarian laughed. "He's not leaving you, dearie. You _killed _him."

River's head whipped up to meet Kovarian's stare. She glared, her tears evaporated by the fire of loathing which burned in her eyes.

"_You _did this, you mad evil bitch." River said, standing up. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."

"Would your sweet husband like that, Melody? I thought he was against killing."

"For you, he would make an exception." River spat through clenched teeth. She shook with rage and sorrow as she inched towards Kovarian. If looks could kill, it was the look that River Song had on her face right then.

"You wouldn't." Kovarian hissed.

"Are you sure?" River quipped in return, venom in her eyes. "This is what you trained me to be; I wouldn't want to disappoint..."

Just as River was nose-to-nose with Kovarian, seconds away from laying hands on her, the Doctor stirred. In an instant, River was back by his side, her vengance temporarily forgotton. She stroked his hair tenderly; there was not a shadow of the woman she had been instants before.

"Sweetie?" This time, her whisper was full of hope and longing.

He murmured some disillusioned gibberish, and his eyes flickered open for a moment, only to close a moment later.

"Doctor." She whispered urgently. "Sweetie, look at me…please." She held his tear-stained face in her hands. "Doctor…"

His eyes opened one more, and he looked up into her eyes.

He smiled despite the pain. "River..." he moaned quietly.

"Hello sweetie." She whispered, choking back sobs.

River. In the moments when he lay dying, there was not another person he desired to have next to him. And she was here now. River. His wife. Suddenly, in all his agony, everything had become clear: She understood his pain: not just the pain he felt right now, but the pain of the weight of the universe and time on his shoulders. His responsibility to bear alone for centuries. All the times he had failed races, planets, and numerous people. The number of times his hearts had shattered...He looked into her eyes then and he saw home. He saw love. He saw a chance to live again. He had thought he would always be alone, but right then he fully realized that she had been there all along. Through thick and thin, when he didn't even know who she was, she was there. And would be there. Until the day she died. River Song, the woman who married the Doctor. That bloody amazing woman…

_You are loved, and by no one more than me, _her voice echoed in his head.

When he looked into River's eyes he saw hope. Hope for him and for the universe.

And he sat up.

* * *

**Want more? Then leave a review! ;)**

**I'll try to post chapters once a day, but if the request for more is big enough...who knows, maybe I'll post it sooner...hehe**

**Suggestions/requests are welcome and encouraged- I've already incorporated a suggestion into the next chapter :) Maybe yours will be next!**

**Thanks for reading. **

**Cheers!**


	6. Being a Sentimental Idiot

**WOW. just WOW. I am so touched by all the reviews, favoriting, and followings that I have gotten notifications of in the past few hours! You all make me so happy!**

**So, without further ado, here is your reward my lovelies...**

**Enjoy! And thank you again for reading (and actually liking) my stories!**

* * *

River practically lost it as she watched her husband attempt to sit up. _Damn these hormones, _she thought.

The pain that the Doctor bore could be seen perfectly in his eyes. He was in total agony. River cried for him, not just because she was a hormonal wreck, but because she knew he was too stubborn to do it himself.

"Sweetie. You need to lie back down. Save your strength." She pleaded.

"No." He managed to utter in response. "River, you need to get out of here...gahh...it's too dangerous..."

Through the tears, River attempted to suppress an eye roll. "I'm not leaving you, you nostalgic idiot."

"Aghhh...I'm not...important, River. You need to leave."

"I won't leave you, my love. I'm not what matters right now."

"You...aghhh...matter to me." He groaned.

"Well contrary to your belief, you're not the center of the universe, so I'm staying right here, like it or not."

"River..." he breathed, his voiced strained from the pain and from his growing frustration with his wife.

"Doctor..." she whispered in a slightly more composed manner while caressing his face. "Shut up. Stop worrying about me. What do I need to do..."

He winced in pain, propping himself up on weak wrists. "You...aghhh...can't save... me..."

"Well, I'm going to damn well try."

"You can't, River. Now leave."

"Oh I hate you." River was fed up with her husband being a sentimental idiot.

"Aghhh...no you...don't." He groaned back.

"There has to be something...I can't let you die...Sweetie..." River's hormones kicked into overdrive, the tears began to flow again, and her body fell and shuddered on top of her husband's legs; a sobbing, huddled mass.

"Ugh, do I have to watch this?" Kovarian groaned with disgust at the sight of the couple's pathetic displays of affection.

Jack smacked Kovarian across the face. "Shut up."

"River..." The Doctor extended a hand onto his wife's back, attempting to comfort her. He was in enough pain for the both of them.

At his touch, she looked up at him, her vision clouded with tears and flyaway curls.

"I love you." He managed to utter before another wave of pain coursed through him. And he fell back to the floor.

River didn't say anything. She just fell on top of him, clutched his jacket in her fists, and cried.

She said she would try to save him, but she didn't know how she possibly could. He couldn't regenerate. And now neither could she. He was right: no one could save him this time...

But, as the Doctor was drawing his last breaths, River felt a warmth begin to grow in her core. She gasped as the feeling spread towards her extremities, along with a bright shining light. Regeneration energy.

The baby...

* * *

**Yes, I know my chapters are short; I guess i just like to see you all writhe in anticipation! ;) hehe...sorry**

**Reviews please!**

**Love you all :) Thanks again for boosting my ego with your approval of my work; always appreciated :)**

**Next chapter soon to follow...**

**-C**


	7. A Waste of Regeneration Energy?

River gasped. The baby was regenerating; giving her energy to River. The baby could save her father before she was even born.

River stared at her glowing hands in awe. She could barely process what was happening.

"River, quick!" Jack yelled from behind shielded eyes.

It didn't seem like River had heard him; she just continued to stare at her shaking hands. Tears poured from her eyes.

"No, no! Why is she doing this?!" River cried hysterically to no one in particular.

"River, you have to save him!" Jack yelled, his voice growing tense. "River!" Words were all that he could use in hope of persuading her; he stayed at a distance, lest he got too close to the regenerative energy.

She looked up at Jack with fear and sorrow in her eyes. "I can't." She whispered.

"Why not?" He inquired harshly. "You are the only one who can save him!"

That day in Berlin ran through River's mind, as vivid as when she had lived it: She, as her unborn child was attempting to do now, had sacrificed her regenerative energy to save the Doctor. Oh, it was worth it, there was no doubt in her mind, but she had nearly died doing it. Lucky for her, only her remaining regenerations were taken…Even so, she had been so weak, inches away from death; she had had to rest for several weeks in order to recover fully from it. But she was strong, a grown woman; she could endure the sacrifice her body had made…

River's chin quivered as she attempted to suppress a sob. Her tears glistened in the light of the regeneration energy. Finally, she answered Jack, verbalizing the fear she had felt the moment she saw the regenerative light emit from her abdomen.

"Because if I do this, I might lose the baby."

Jack's protests were silenced.

River wept; her inner turmoil was too much for her to bear. She had to choose: her husband or their unborn child.

Oh, her Doctor: the Oncoming Storm, her husband, and the love of her life. She couldn't let him die; the universe depended on him.

But perhaps this was what their baby was meant for: their little girl, after all, was truly a miracle. She was a new hope for the race of the Time Lords and the universe itself. But for what purpose? Was she meant to succeed her father, or save him?

River felt as if her heart had collapsed.

A thousand questions and scenarios raced through her mind: Would she be able to bear another child if she lost this one? Would the Doctor forgive her if the baby died? Would the baby's regenerative energy even save him or would she lose them both?

She didn't want to choose, but she had to.

"I am so sorry, my love." She cried.


	8. The Anger of a Good Man

**I felt like I put you all through too much suspenseful agony (that's Moffat's job, not mine), so here you go...**

* * *

With her heart aching, River lowered her hands towards the Doctor's face.

"I'm so sorry, my love." She whispered to her unborn child.

She had made her choice, as painful as it was, and now there was no going back.

As her palms cupped her husband's cheeks, the light burst, nearly blinding everyone in the room. Tears squeezed from the cracks of River's shut eyelids.

_Please. _She thought. _Please work. Save him. _

After a few moments, the regenerative energy began to die, and River removed her hands from her husband, waiting with baited breath.

To her relief, the Doctor gasped sharply and jolted upright.

He looked around the room in confusion. He stared at his body, which a moment earlier was deteriorating into oblivion.

River knelt beside him, a glowing fading from her hands. Then it dawned on him: she had regenerated. He was healed. But how?

His wife was shaking. Tears streamed down her face. She could barely speak. Before he could ask her if she was alright or what had happened, she fell into his arms, sobbing.

"River...shhhh. I'm fine."

"I thought..." River blubbered, unable to continue.

Jack stepped forward to finish her sentence. "Doc, the baby saved you."

_The baby. _He pulled River to an arm's length away from him and looked down at her stomach. _The baby had saved him._

_No. _

The Doctor took his wife's face in his hands and held her gaze. "River, is the baby alright?"

"I don't know. I feel fine, but I don't know." River whimpered.

The Doctor was about to scan her abdomen with his sonic screwdriver when he heard muttering behind him along the lines of "Goddammit."

Kovarian. He had forgotten about her.

The Doctor stood and turned to face the vile woman, seething with anger.

He shook his screwdriver madly at her as he walked towards where she was bound to the chair.

"You. You did this." He spat.

Kovarian's lip curled. "Apparently not well enough."

The Doctor bent down to her eye level, his eyes narrowed. "Trying to kill me is one thing, but toying with and manipulating my family is unforgivable. You've crossed a line." He whispered harshly.

Kovarian smiled wickedly. "The anger of a good man is not a problem: good men have too many rules."

"Rules can be broken." The Doctor fumed.

"Would you really kill me in front of your wife? What would she think of you then, _Doctor_?" Kovarian taunted him with the sound of his own name.

"Stop it. Stop it!" The Doctor screamed in his frustration, his hands balling into fists and shaking madly. It seemed for an instant that he was going to throw his screwdriver, but he managed to compose himself.

The Doctor breathed deeply, and brought himself back face to face with Kovarian. "You will never harm her again." He spat through gritted teeth, pointing his index finger at her as if she were some child being reprimanded.

This didn't seem to faze Kovarian. "She'll never be safe. _Not until you're good and dead." _

"Well then," his nostrils flared madly and his shoulders heaved up and down, "You leave me no choice. Jack hand me your…" The Doctor was startled by the touch of a soft hand wrapping around his.

He turned to find that the hand belonged to River.

"Sweetie, don't." She whispered calmly.

"River, of all people, really? Now is when you choose to support gun control? Look at what this woman has done to you! To us! To the baby! For all we know, she could be dead." He suddenly remembered himself, and immediately dropped to his knees and scanned River's abdomen.

"Killing her won't make it better." River said.

The Doctor ignored her. "The baby's alive," he said, reading the screwdriver's sensors, "Her hearts are still beating, but she's weak." He stood up. "I'll perform more tests on her once we're back in the TARDIS…"

River sighed in relief and closed her eyes, thanking God her baby was alright. But she wasn't going to let that distract her.

"Sweetie…don't do this," she said, taking his free hand in both of hers. "Don't let this be the man you become." She begged. The last thing she wanted to see was her husband become a murderer. He was many things, but that was not one of them. "What have I told you before? 'You make them so afraid. Did you ever think you'd become this? The man who can turn an army around at the mention of his name: Doctor. The word for healer and wise man throughout the universe. If you carry on the way you are, what might that word come to mean? To the people of the Gamma Forests, the word "doctor" means "mighty warrior."' The Silence fears you. Don't forget yourself: Be the man, the _good _man that I know you are. Remember the last time you forgot yourself? You lost me."

The Doctor looked down the floor. She was right. He had forgotten himself.

He exhaled deeply. "Fine." He then took River by the shoulders and escorted her towards the exit. Just as they were about to pass through the doors, he said "Jack."

Jack smiled at the Doctor's signal. River didn't want the Doctor to become a murderer, but Jack didn't care. He killed horrible people like Kovarian all the time. It was part of his job.

His face was filled with malicious pleasure as he stepped towards the mad woman. Slowly, he bent down next to Kovarian so his lips were right next to her ear.

He placed his pistol right on top of her temple.

And, with the greatest satisfaction, he whispered. "And they lived happily ever after..."

And he pulled the trigger.

* * *

**_Note: I recieved a review saying that the last chapter was out of character for the Doctor. And I agree. That's why I wrote it that way. The Doctor does get angry from time to time, but never before like this. I wanted to create a context- the pain of thinking he could lose his family again- that would drive him to do something he would never normally do. I hope my intentions came across..._**

**_I really do appreciate all of the reviews, each and every one of them, even the criticism. It makes me think more about my story and become a better writer. Thank you so much for caring enough to write a review!_**

**_Cheers_**

**_-C_**


	9. In the Name of Sanity

The sound of the gunshot echoed down the hallways.

Stomping along in protest, River rolled her eyes at her husband.

"Really?" She asked him bitterly.

"You wouldn't let me do it, so Jack took care of her for me." The Doctor said mechanically, his face expressionless.

River stopped walking and put her arm out in front of the Doctor's chest.

She pivoted to face him, grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Honestly, sweetie, what has gotten into you? Have you gone mad?" River feared for his sanity. She had never seen him act like this before.

"River, you don't understand. When she took you…I thought…" he couldn't go on.

"I know." She said for him. Her husband's mental anguish made tears well up in her eyes. She gently cupped his check with her hand, which he took in his and kissed tenderly.

"She just unleashed something in me that…River, I never wanted to feel that pain again…the pain of losing your family. Watching them die. Once was enough for me…I just…I couldn't bear losing you. Kovarian wanted to take you from me…I couldn't let that happen. Not again…"

River fell into his arms and held him close. "Oh, sweetie it's alright. I'm here. I'm safe. You won't ever lose me."

Her words were meant for comfort, but they stung the Doctor's hearts. _Oh River, you have no idea. _


	10. I Don't Like Endings

Moments later, River reclined in a chair in the TARDIS console room while the Doctor dashed about, yelling out tests to be performed on her.

"Scan for fetal heartbeats!"

River smiled as the TARDIS screen flickered and displayed an ultrasonic image of their baby and an accompanying electrocardiograph. She could see two heartbeats fluttering.

The Doctor studied the EKG, twiddling his fingers as he did. "Hmm...it's a bit weak, but she's not in distress. She seems quite healthy other than that…We'll just have to monitor her closely from now on."

He turned around with a flourish, "So that means, _you_ have to rest," he said, pointing to River. "Off to bed, Doctor Song."

River pouted and playfully rolled her eyes.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "You've never resisted the idea of hopping into bed before…"

River smiled, "Oh, shut up."

"Not a chance."

Eventually, but ever so reluctant, River began her bed rest.

The Doctor climbed into bed next to her, and placed a had lovingly on her abdomen.

"Thank you." He said to his little girl, "Thank you for saving me."

River placed her hand on top of the Doctor's. He looked up at her and smiled fondly.

"She's remarkable. Brilliant." He said, and then lowered his head to kiss her stomach, and then let it rest there.

River wiped away her tears of joy as she watched her husband nuzzle against her abdomen.

She smiled, sniffling lightly. "Sweetie?"

He looked up at her. "River, our child is amazing even before she's born!"

"Yes she is," she agreed. "But how did she know to do that? To save you?"

The Doctor tapped his skull with an index finger. "Telepathy. Oh she is fantastic!" He kissed River's stomach again.

"Yes, but, will she be alright?" River asked, running her fingers through her husband's hair. "When I did that to save you, I used up all my regenerations..."

The Doctor frowned and sat up, his hair flopping in his eyes. "I don't know." He said. "She does seem a bit weak, but she's not fully developed yet; fetuses have a plethora of regeneration energy during development. If I'm right, she won't run out like an established time lord would. She just needs to recuperate; gain back her energy."

"Are you sure?" River said, sounding relieved.

"Quite certain, but like I said, we need to monitor her closely."

He kissed River on the forehead and held her close. "Our daughter is amazing." he whispered again into her ear. "Just like her mum."

River smiled. Their baby was alive, and hopefully healthy.

Only time would tell.

THE END.

* * *

**Okay kiddos, that's it. **

**I've written a sequel of sorts called "Life and Death"- basically River's worst fears come true regarding the baby...**

** s/8591183/1/Life-and-Death **

**Looking forward to your reviews!**

**I really loved writing this and hopefullty you loved reading it!**


End file.
